Hobby Brine shrimp hatchery!

So, I went on to an international forum and they said they used this thing to hatch brine shrimp. Needs no power, no heater and no air pumps or movement at all.

This is what I got...

The instructions say to add 3 slightly heaped teaspoons of salt (aquarium not table salt) to 500ml of fresh water. Pour the water into the tray. Then place 1/4 teaspoon of the brine shrimp eggs into the tray spread evenly over the waters surface.... Check.

Put the lid on... You can also see the size of the whole thing. That round blue thing is a standard size of plumbers tape...

Waiting....

So, after about 24 hours I took the lid off to check...

You can see in the above pic, the small orange patch in the white circular thing in the center of the dish... That is live, freshly hatched brine shrimp! No power, no air and no heat!! There are thousands of them!

This thing is brilliant! I am going to be trying to find out how to get these into the country. I haven't seen them anywhere so far. Feeding brine shrimp is now the easiest thing on earth!! Brilliant!

Well, they just hatch. I recon if you put water in a small bowl at room temp they would hatch as well...

The middle hole in the tub is where they collect once hatched. They are attracted to light and that is the only place where here is any light. It is an ingenious little thing that makes life very easy with absolutely no mess. It's brilliant!

Like any other living organism, artemia needs oxygen to live. Sure, some eggs will hatch in this contraption (like you said, they will hatch in a small bowl of water as well), but if you want a large amount of brine shrimp to hatch, and to stay alive for a day or two, you would be much better off using a plastic 2-liter cooldrink bottle (works well turned upside down...), with an airline bubbling in it.

Well, the water surface area is quite large so there will be dissolved oxygen in the water. But it makes enough Brine Shrimp for every day feeding. Like I said, it's only a 1/4 Teaspoon of eggs. Apparently that is over 100 000 eggs per day. Besides, you don't really want to feed older brine shrimp. Their protein content diminishes the longer they are alive.

Well, the water surface area is quite large so there will be dissolved oxygen in the water

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Which will be used up pretty rapidly by a large number of artemia, and which would be replaced much slower because there is no water movement.

Also, keep in mind that the waste generated by the artemia will be much more concentrated in such a small volume of water.

But it makes enough Brine Shrimp for every day feeding. Like I said, it's only a 1/4 Teaspoon of eggs

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I've bred lots of fish in my life, and have hatched hundreds of batches of artemia during this time. As you correctly noted, a 1/4 teaspoon of eggs (actually cysts) should result in a very large amount of baby shrimp larvae. On a good day, this amount of eggs would supply enough shrimp larvae for about a week of feedings (the trick is to freeze the larvae in ice cubes soon after they have hatched, then you can feed all week...). Looking at your photos, there is only a very small number of live larvae concentrated in that center scoop thingy. Most of the cysts did not hatch, and is visible in the outer rings. If for no other reason, it is pretty poor economics to kill (say) 90 000 larvae and only harvest 10 000, if the ratio could be reversed by just using a larger volume of water, and running a simple airline into the container.

you don't really want to feed older brine shrimp. Their protein content diminishes the longer they are alive.

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To nit-pick, it is true that their nutritional value (not protein content) diminishes the longer they are alive, but that is ONLY true if you don't feed them (they live off their egg-sacs for the first two days), and, I suppose, the same could be said for any of us... Feeding them phytoplankton and/or yeast products, or "soaking" them in HUFA (e.g. Selcon) will result in them regaining, or even increasing, their nutritional value.

By the way, have you ever seen an adult brine shrimp. They grow to about 1cm in length, and make excellent live food for the larger fish - the trick is to grow them out in a large container, out doors, feeding them green water and doing partial water changes to reduce the level of water pollution.

I had a look in the container this morning and it appeared as though 80% had hatched. I checked yesterday and that was about 24 hours after starting the thing. This morning there was a much bigger yield in the hatchery. I started feeding these to the fish. While it does take time for the BBS to move to the center of the device, I managed to get more than enough to feed the fish in the 8 tanks I am running.

While I understand, and appreciate your opinion Reef Maniac, I do think this thing makes a good batch of BBS without the mess of 2 liter coke bottles. I could start a green water culture and hatch the brine shrimp this way and then transfer them into a bigger container/tank after they are hatched and raise them that way. Just need to start a green water culture.

Any tips on how to go about this? I assume you take water, and leave it in the sun? Add a leaf or 2?

Hi Slagter
Generally nhbs that have come from decapsulated cysts are far more nutritious, and you will have a better hatch rate in a much shorter time. Decapsulating of brine shrimp eggs - Marine Aquariums of South Africa
In my opinion in far less of a footprint than your hatcher takes up. My son puts his in a hatcher (rain gauge type) in the sump and hatching has already started in 8 hours on some occasions.

The artemia could just be cultured in any greenwater in a tub as Reef Maniac said.
If your container was as efficient as you think it is Luckyfish and Reef Maniac and my son would be using them (and I have one, somewhere in the pile of unused equipment somewhere in the cupboard).

Ok, fair enough that this gadget is not 100% ideal and lacks a few of the accepted norms associated with brine shrimp batching, but I have to say it is a rather novel idea, it's simplicity and ease of use looks great, for someone like me that just wants to feed some live shrimp to my 4ft tank once or twice a week I reckon this little gadget is perfect, even if I only get a 10% hatch rate. I honestly can't be bothered with all the other peripherals of setting up airlines and focusing lights etc. Life is too busy and I need things simplified I like this little gadget and I think I might get myself one.

I had a look in the container this morning and it appeared as though 80% had hatched. I checked yesterday and that was about 24 hours after starting the thing. This morning there was a much bigger yield in the hatchery. I started feeding these to the fish. While it does take time for the BBS to move to the center of the device, I managed to get more than enough to feed the fish in the 8 tanks I am running.

While I understand, and appreciate your opinion Reef Maniac, I do think this thing makes a good batch of BBS without the mess of 2 liter coke bottles. I could start a green water culture and hatch the brine shrimp this way and then transfer them into a bigger container/tank after they are hatched and raise them that way. Just need to start a green water culture.

Any tips on how to go about this? I assume you take water, and leave it in the sun? Add a leaf or 2?

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well let me tell you!!!!!lol that for a lazy person like myself who would like a small amount of brineshrimp daily this is ideal. good onyou for finding and trying it out!

Ok, fair enough that this gadget is not 100% ideal and lacks a few of the accepted norms associated with brine shrimp batching, but I have to say it is a rather novel idea, it's simplicity and ease of use looks great, for someone like me that just wants to feed some live shrimp to my 4ft tank once or twice a week I reckon this little gadget is perfect, even if I only get a 10% hatch rate. I honestly can't be bothered with all the other peripherals of setting up airlines and focusing lights etc. Life is too busy and I need things simplified I like this little gadget and I think I might get myself one.

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No harm in trying as you say, putting a rain gauge in the sump with water from your tank takes up less space and keeps it at the right temperature. Connecting an airline from a pump is quick and easy. Decapsulating improves the hatch rate, nutritional value and sterilises.

I found my tray, maybe I will try it, but if someone in PE is interested I am sure they can buy it or swap something with Rogan for it. The white bit in the centre is missing.

I can promise you guys now it's not a 10% hatch rate. It's closer to 80% hatch rate. But like i said, it's nice and easy. I'm going to keep running one of these dishes and I will look into the idea of the rain gauge in the sump, once my tank arrives (hopefully this week).

Anyway, I though it a useful thing for someone who has only ever managed to hatch brine shrimp once in a 2 liter coke bottle...